Stabilizing-appendage for balloons.



R. H. UPSON.

STABILIZING APPENDAGE FOR BALLOONS. APPLICATION FILED NOV-9.1916.

1,288,299. Patented Dec 17,1918.

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ITED TATE PATENT RALPH H. UPSON, 0F AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOODYEAR TIRE 8: RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OHIO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. it, 1918.

Application filed November 9, 1916. Serial No. 130,382.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH H. UPsoN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Akron, in the county of Summit and btate of Ohio, have invented new and useful Iniprovements in Stabilizing-Appendages for Ballbons, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to an llllproved form of stabilizing appendage for kite balloons, such as is adapted to maintain the balloon in a position headed into the wind.

Kite balloons must necessarily be kept in such a stable state, when in flight, that careful observations may be made by the pilots. It is the customary practice, in attainment of this desideratum, to equip the kite balloon with a stabilizing appendage composed of a plurality of tall cups, stabilizing sails or similar units. When the balloon is operated in heavy winds, however, the number of tail cup units must be increased over that number which renders the balloon most stable in light winds.

To some extent, this can be regulated before undertaking a flight in the balloon, and this is as far as the present practice has ever progressed. It will be apparent, however, that when a flight of any considerable duration is contemplated that the most desirable condition inherent in the stabilizing appendage is that which permits of adjustment in accordance with variations in the winds, z'. 6., the employment of a larger or smaller number of tail cups than that used at the beginning of the flight, in accordance with an increase or decrease in wind velocities as'the flight continues.

It is a further disadvantage of the present method of stringing a series of tail cup units behind the, balloon in such a manner that the individual cups are separately toggled onto a single anchoring rope, that sudden gusts of wind tend to momentarily throw the inclepcndent stabilizing units out of the common alinement which is the chief factor in securing a uniform stabilizing efiect. In a gusty wind which is continually destroying the alinemcnt between successive tail cups, there is set up a succession of oscillatory moments which cannot avoid disturbing the balloons' stability.

In view of these objectionable results. I have devised a stabilizing appendage for captive balloons, one of the principal ob-. j ects of the invention being to provide means for adjusting, from the basket of the balloon, the quantity of tail cups put into active use, without interruption to the flight of the balloon. I r An object of equal importance with th foregoing is to construct a stabilizing appendage composed of relatively adjustable units, all of the units being so secured by cross-connections to each other that they are permitted to remain in a common alinement regardless of the individual pressure on each, due to sudden gusts of wind.

The above and additional objects of a similar nature, which will be hereinafter more specifically treated, may be accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,'described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein there has been illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which, similar reference numbers designate corresponding parts:

of a portion of the appendage, showing the adaptability thereof to adjustments controlling the number of units in actual use.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a portion of the inlet funnel which depends from the rear portion of the balloon envelop to permit the ingress of air into the ballonnet. Strung out rearwardly from the funnel 10 is the stabilizing appendage denoted as a. whole by the numeral 11 and composed of a number of collapsible tail cups 12 and of a non-collapsible terminal cup 13.

7 Each of the cups 12 is constructed of a number of fabric panels 15 which are cemented and sewedtogether in radiation of the cup in order that these units of the stabilizing appendage may be collapsible. at the will of the pilot. Successive cups are connected in common alinement by a number of lieiribl'e elements 14-. Around the perinietral edge of each cup is located a. number of points a, .7), 0, (Z, etc, occurrim at the intersection terminals of the panels 15.

Fig. the collapsible cup illustrated in the full lines has these perimetral points designated by the letters a, b, c and (Z while the collapsed cup, whose normal full position is shown in the dotted lines, has its corresponding perimetral points lettered a, b, 0 and d. For the purpose connecting the cups by the elements 14.- these points may be considered as grouped in pairs ab al), ho etc. Between the corresponding pairs of grouped points the flexible elements ll are so arranged as to cross-connect the opposite points of the pairs. Thus one of the elements extends from a on the rearmost cup to l) on the preceding cup and from h on the real-most cup to a on the preceding cup. Similarly, the pairs 7X0 and be will be cross-connected by the elements 1% in the manner indicated in this figure, 2'. a, from to c and c to b. lhis plan or" connection between the adjacent cups of the entire series is followed out around the entire perimeter of the cups so that removal of any of the cups from the common alinement by local gust of wind is not ordinarily possible. All

of the collapsible cups are centrally aper tured to permit of the passage therethrough or the control rope 16 which extends from the terminal cup 13 to the pilots basket (not shown) in the direction of the arrow or Fig. l.

The terminal cup 13 is preferably of a non-collapsible construction and to .this end may have its base reinforced with a metallic hoop. Stabilizing planes 1'? and 18 are of triangular shape and intersect at right angles along the axis of the cup prolonged,

and toggled means 19 serve to secure this terminal cup upon the extremity of the control rope 18.

In Fig. l the stabilizing appendage is shown as composed of four of the collapsible tail cup units although a greater or less number may be initially employed, if desired. ln Fig. 2 there is illustrated the removal from active use of the rearmost collapsible cup by the simple expedient of pulling the control rope 16 in the direction of the arrow so that the terminal cup 13 is moved up through the real-most collapsible cup to fold it as shown. A continued pull upon the control rope in the direction of the arrow would -fold up the next preceding collapsible cup shown in Fig. 2 and thus reduce still further the number of units employed in the stabilizing appendage.

Any suitable meansmay be employed for suspending the stabilizing tail from the ballonnet funnel 10 of the balloon. The means shown herein include looped ropes 20, the

extremities of which are secured to the fun nel through the medium of suitable suspension patches 21. ln the loop or bight portions of the ropes are mounted pulleys 22 which support secondary rope loops 23, the free extremities of the latter being secured to the ballonnet funnel through the medium of patches 21. These secondary rope loops also support pulleys 2t and to these latter are toggled the flexible elements 14 connecting to the corners of the foremost collapsible cup 12. The pulleys 22 and 2% are necessary in order that the appendage as a whole may adjust itself directly into the direction of the wind, as independent adjustment of the cups tothe wind direction is denied by the cup connections discussed in detail in the foregoing. A pair of pulleys 25 which may be supported, respectively, from a yoke 26 arranged adjacent the mouth of the foremost tail cup and fromthe dependent ballonnet funnel 10 provide torthe support and easy movement of the control 16.

lt should be apparent from the preceding description that l have attained the objects of this invention by the provision of a stabilizing appendage for kite balloons which combines, as its main features, means for adjusting the quantity of tail cup units in active use, in accordance with variations in the wind conditions, and means for intensitying the stabilizing efiect of the appendage by preventing uncontrolled action on the part of individual tail units.

l fhat l claim is:

1. ln a stabilizing appendage for balloons, a plurality of stabilizing units connected in a series in longitudinal alinement, and means for controlling the number of units of such series in active service without altering such alinement.

2. A stabilizing appendage for balloons including a plurality of stabilizing units connected in series, and means operative while the balloon is in flight for individually adjusting each unit only longitudinally of the series to increase or decrease the number of active units to accord with wind conditions.

3. in a stabilizing appendage for balloons, a plurality of tail cups comprised in a. series, and means cross-connecting corresponding portions of adjacent tail cups to maintain the entire series of cups in common alinement.

4. In a stabilizing appendage for balloons, a plurality of tail cups; means flexibly connecting the cups to maintain the entire numher in a common alinement; and means for collapsing any number of the cups individually without altering such alinement to adjust the appendage to meet various wind conditions.

5. A stabilizing appendage for balloons. comprising the combination of a plurality of collapsible cups, a non-collapsible terminal cup, and means foradjusting theterminal cup to collapse adjacent cups.

6. In a stabilizing appendage for balloons, a plurality of tail cups, and pairs of crossed flexible elements connecting adjacent cups to maintain alinement of the cups.

7. A stabilizing appendage for balloons comprising a combination of collapsible cups, a non-collapsible terminal cup, and a rope passing through the collapsible cups and'connected to the terminal cup;

8. A stabilizing appendage 'for balloons, comprising the combination of collapsible cups, a non-collapsible terminal cup provided with stabilizing planes, and a rope passing through the collapsible cups and connected to the terminal cup. v

'9. A stabilizing appendage for balloons, comprising the combination of collapsible cups, pairs of crossed flexible elements connecting adjacent cups, a terminal cup, and a rope passing through the collapsible cups and connected to the terminal cup.

10. A stabilizing appendage for balloons including a plurality of stabilizing units connected in series, and means operative While the balloon is in flight for individually adjusting one unit only longitudinally of the series and toward an overhanging unit for varying the number of active units to accord with flight conditions.

11. A stabilizing appendage for balloons including a plurality of stabilizing, collapsible units connected in series, a support for the units, and means for'individually adjusting one of the units toward another of the units and only longitudinally of the support for varying the number of active units While the balloon is in flight to accord with flight conditions, such adjustment of the unit involving a collapsing thereof.

In testimony-whereof I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RALPH H. UPSON.

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